ivy

ivy
\ \ [OE] Ivy has been traced back to a prehistoric Germanic *ibakhs, which also lies behind modern German efeu and Dutch eilof. This has been linked by some etymologists with Latin ibexmountain goat’ (itself acquired by English in the 17th century), the semantic connection being ‘climber’.
\ \ The expression Ivy League, denoting the eight old-established and prestigious universities of the northeastern USA (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale), was inspired by the idea of ancient ivy-covered walls. It dates from the 1930s.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ivy — I vy, n.; pl. {Ivies}. [AS. [=i]fig; akin to OHG. ebawi, ebah, G. epheu.] (Bot.) A plant of the genus {Hedera} ({Hedera helix}), common in Europe. Its leaves are evergreen, dark, smooth, shining, and mostly five pointed; the flowers yellowish and …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ivy — (englisch für Efeu) bezeichnet einen Vornamen, Ivy (Vorname) Ivy (Film), US amerikanischer Spielfilm aus dem Jahre 1947 von Sam Wood Ivy (Magazin), ein Lifestyle Magazin Apache Ivy, ein Software Tool Ivy (Band), US amerikanische Indiepop Gruppe… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • IVY — (Mishnaic) (Heb. קִיסוֹס, kisos, from the Gr. κισσός), Hedera helix, which grows wild in the forests of Israel. It is mentioned in the Mishnah as a plant occasionally grown in a vineyard (Kil. 5:8). Its dense branches are considered a screen… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • ivy — (n.) O.E. ifig, from W.Gmc. *ibakhs (Cf. M.L.G. iflof, Du. eiloof, O.H.G. ebahewi, Ger. Efeu), of unknown origin; the second element in the O.H.G. word may be hay. Ivy bush as a sign of a tavern where wine is served is attested from mid 15c. Ivy… …   Etymology dictionary

  • ivy — [ī′vē] n. pl. ivies [ME ivi < OE ifig, ifegn, akin to Ger efeu (OHG ebawi, ebah): orig. sense prob. “climber”] 1. a climbing vine (Hedera helix) of the ginseng family, with a woody stem and evergreen leaves, grown as ornamentation on buildings …   English World dictionary

  • Ivy Ho — Sai Hong (zh t|岸西) is a Hong Kong screenwriter and film director.FilmographyDirector* Claustrophobia (2008)tory* Gorgeous (1999) * 2 Become 1 (2006) * Claustrophobia (2008) Writer* Silent Love (1986) * Comrades, Almost a Love Story (1996) * The… …   Wikipedia

  • Ivy — ● Ivy fue una marca de motocicletas históricas, construidas de 1908 hasta 1932 por S.A. Newman Ltd., Aston Cross, Birmingham Inglaterra. ● Ivy fue un grupo de indie y punk, fundado en 1988 …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Ivy — [ī′vē] n. [< IVY] a feminine name …   English World dictionary

  • Ivy — f English: from the vocabulary word denoting the plant (Old English īfig). This given name was coined at the end of the 19th century together with a large number of other female given names derived from words denoting flowers and plants. It is… …   First names dictionary

  • ivy — ► NOUN ▪ a woody evergreen climbing plant, typically with shiny five pointed leaves. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • Ivy — Taxobox name = Hedera image caption = Hedera colchica image width = 240px regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Magnoliopsida ordo = Apiales familia = Araliaceae subfamilia = Aralioideae genus = Hedera genus authority = L.… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”